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March 21, 2007
Spring Greetings from the Community Supported Garden at La Vista,
We're happy that Spring is here and are excited to see activity in the greenhouse and fields. Farmer Kris is lining up "field work" for shareholders who like to get their
hands dirty. It's time to get busy! Keep reading announcements of upcoming events and other Garden News....
Potato Planting this Saturday - 3/24
Join us for the big potato planting Saturday March 24 at 9 a.m.! Signal in the new season by helping out with one of the first plantings
of spring. We'll cut the potato seed and work in groups to get those tubers into the ground. All are welcome: young, young at heart and everyone in between. Rain (or snow) will cancel, but, in general, dress
appropriately and bring water. Call the farm office at 467-2104 for more information.
Spring Equinox Celebration - 3/24
La Vista Ecological Learning Center invites you here for its annual celebration of the start of Spring! Saturday, March 24 beginning at 4:00
PM, we will ring in Spring with seasonal poetry and a search for signs of Spring procession. The highlight of the event will be the ancient activity of potato planting (dress down!). We will conclude with a potluck
in the Oblate's historic lodge on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. Bring your children, bring a dish to share and let's welcome Spring! Call Fr. Maurice to register at 618-466-5004. Free-will donation.
Open Greenhouse and Shareholder Gathering - 4/1
Please do tell your friends about the Garden's Open Greenhouse on Sunday, April 1st from 2:00 - 4:00 PM. It is one of the best
times of the year to show off the beauty and promise of our farm as well as to recruit new shareholders.
That same day, from 4:00 - 6:00 PM, come out for our first Shareholder Gathering. As distribution of
Spring Greens kicks off later that week, and with the regular season being only a few weeks away, we need to gather to orient ourselves as a shareholder community to this our 5th season. Bring a folding chair and a
snack to share during the meeting break. This is your farm and we have a wonderful sense of participation here!
Garden Wish List
Quart-size containers (yogurt containers, berry containers, etc.)
Grocery and produce bags
Gallon milk jugs (empty and clean)
Scrap paper
Garden hats
Metric socket set
Push lawn mower (gas or rotary)
Lumber (2X4's, 1X4's)
Bagged sand
Also, Composting Matter: kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, leaves, grass clippings… We need and love
all the composting materials you can spare. Kitchen scraps don't need to be organic, but lawn clippings do.
And… Recipes! We'll have a new recipe board in the share room, so be ready to post your favorite
recipes for others to share and enjoy! If you prefer, e-mail recipes to kris@lavistacsa.org to be printed and posted.
Call the farm at 618-467-2104 if you have any of these items to offer, or if you have any
further questions. Thanks!
Upcoming Events
- Week of 3/26 - WBGZ Let's Talk interview w/ Kris and Father Maurice, 10am
- Tuesday, 4/10 - Dehydrating, Preserving, Freezing with Cindy Gelsthorp, 6:30
- Tuesday, 4/24 - Natural Cures/Home Remedies with Dr. Narine Sargsyan, 5:30-6:30
- Thursday, 4/26 - Taste the Difference at Oasis with Kris Larson,
1:00-2:00
February 18, 2007
WARM GREETINGS SHAREHOLDERS AND FRIENDS,
IT'S TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT SPRING!
Soil Mix Work Day
There are TWO opportunities coming up to make soil mix! Join us this Saturday, February 24, at 9 a.m. at the farm. Or, come out
Wednesday, February 28 at 9 as well. We make our own soil mix to ensure top quality growth and all-around vitality for our early crops. It's also a wonderful
way to work out the cold and kinks of winter and get
started with the new year. Making soil mix is fun and easy. It's like baking a cake (without the baking, of course)! But, we need extra hands and lots of warm smiles. No experience required. We'll teach everything
you need to know about starting the plants that will nourish us in the months ahead.
Cooking Class THIS Friday
Come see Shareholder Cheri Bailey demonstrate preparation of some of our more "unusual" vegetables. This is the first of several classes
that will be offered to shareholders this year. We're lining up classes in dehydration and canning as well.
Date: Friday, Feb 23, 2007
Time: 7pm - 9pm
Where: River of Life Community Church (Kitchen),
1414 West Delmar in Godfrey.
A New Season to Celebrate!
It may be cold now, but the 5th season for the Community Supported Garden at La Vista is already upon us! Farmer Kris has been working diligently
with innumerable preparations. Many volunteers are working in various capacities with publicity, administration, and planning for the irrigation system. Reason to Celebrate! Come out for our first potluck
shareholder celebration of the year on Sunday, February 25 at 4:00. We'll gather in the cozy greenhouse and see old friends and make new ones around GREAT food.
Can you help install our new irrigation system?
In the coming weeks we will be installing our new irrigation system! And we need your help! The trenching will be taken care
of, however we will be laying the line ourselves and need many hands to get the job done. (This irrigation system will save hundreds of hours of labor each season and provide incalculable flavor and nutrition to our
crops, especially during the driest seasons.) We will be setting a date soon, weather-dependent, and will notify you here as soon as we know. Please call the barn office at 618-467-2104 to indicate your interest in
helping with this project.
Tell your Friends!
Bring an interested friend or two or more to the potluck on February 25---seeing the beauty of this farm and meeting our truly friendly folks is a really
good way to assist the farm goal of selling all our available shares. The Garden is now taking applications for membership. Application forms can be found on our great website at www.lavistacsa.org or by calling
618-467-2104.
February 7, 2007
Winter Greetings,
It may be cold outside, but we have warm thoughts of Spring and can't wait for the first produce of 2007! In the meantime, please join us for these upcoming events...
Potting Soil Mix Workshop Saturday at the Farm!
Join us Saturday February 10th at 9 a.m. and help make several batches of potting soil mix. Did you know that we make our very
own potting soil at the farm? We start several vegetables from seed in our homemade mix in order to ensure the best hands-on quality and consistency for every plant we grow. Making potting mix from raw ingredients
is a favorite winter task. It's like making cake batter. However, it takes a bit of time and we need help to make several batches all at once. So come on out and learn all about potting soil, how to make it, and how
we use it, all the while giving us all a great start on the new season. Call Kris at the farm for more information (618-467-2104).
Cooking Class with Cheri Bailey
Come see Shareholder Cheri Bailey demonstrate preparation of some of our more "unusual" vegetables.
This is the first of several classes that will be offered to shareholders this year. We're lining up classes in dehydration and canning as well.
Date: Friday, Feb 23, 2007
Time: 7pm - 9pm
Where:
River of Life Community Church (Kitchen), 1414 West Delmar in Godfrey.
First Shareholder Celebration of the Season!
Ya'll come to our first celebration for shareholders and others. Sunday February 25 at 4:00 we'll
sit down (in the warm greenhouse) to a potluck feast….bring a favorite wintertime dish to share. This is a perfect time to renew garden friendships and to make new ones. Please bring a friend, especially someone who
may be interested in becoming a garden shareholder…as we are currently taking applications. Also bring your place setting and mug. Farmer Kris will be on hand to whet our appetites for the fresh garden food soon to
be harvested!
2007 Farm Assistant Positions
At La Vista, we produce more than vegetables. Each year part-time farm assistants provide an immeasurable service by transplanting, weeding,
harvesting, and washing all the produce from the land. In return, besides an hourly wage and extra vegetables, we give them an introduction into organic sustainable farming. It's part of our mission to promote the
spread of local sustainable farming and gardening into our neighborhoods, towns and rural areas in order to secure a tastier and more stable food future. We invite assistants to the farm to work hard, earn some
money, and leave with new skills and insight. Some of our favorite assistants have been referred to the farm by our members, so if you know someone who would love to join us this season, please let them know! Check
our website at www.lavistaCSA.org for updates and job applications.
2007 Shares Available
Spring Greens shares are sold out, but there are still shares available for the regular Season. If you haven't signed up already, you can download an
application from our website.
Click here to get application from website.
La Vista Ecological Learning Center...
...is helping to sponsor a timely film series dealing with Climate Change and Clean Energy. This free film
series is held each of the Mondays in February beginning Feb 12 at 7:30 PM at the First Unitarian Church in Alton, IL (102 East Third Street @ the corner of Third & Alby). Since the food you eat from La Vista
travels very little from where it is grown to your home---you are doing something great for the Planet. Come learn more about such issues of vital importance. We encourage you to attend!
Feb. 12 "An Inconvenient Truth"
Feb 19 "Who Killed the Electric Car?"
Feb 26 "The Global Banquet: Politics of Food" &
"French Fries to Go" (Fr. Maurice to facilitate)
Mar 12 "Oil and Ice"
October, November & December 2006 News
July, August & September 2006 News
April, May & June 2006 News
January, February & March 2006 News
November & December 2005 News
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